Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bermuda Arts Centre
Works by local artists are the focus in this gallery, with
exhibits changing about every 4 to 6 weeks. An eclectic range of original art and prints
is for sale. Local artists in residence include a cedar sculptor and a jewelry maker.
You'll see four artists laboring in their respective mediums: wood-sculpting, jewelry
making, oil painting, and weaving. There's a small gift shop on-site, displaying and
selling the wares of these and other artists.
Maritime Lane.
&
441/234-2809.
www.artbermuda.bm. Free admission. Daily 10am-5pm. See trans-
portation information under the Royal Naval Dockyard listing below.
Bermuda Craft Market
This is the prime place to watch local artists at work and
to buy their wares, some of which make ideal souvenirs. Established in 1987, within
the shadowy, thick-walled premises of what was originally conceived as a warehouse
and boat repair yard, this market offers items made from Bermuda cedar, candles,
clothing, dolls, fabrics, hand-painted goods, jewelry, metal and gem sculpture, nee-
dlework, quilts, shell art, glass panels, and woven-cane goods, among other things.
In the Cooperage Building, 4 Freeport Rd.
&
441/234-3208.
Free admission. Nov-Mar daily 10:30am-
5pm; Apr-Oct daily 9:30am-6pm. See transportation information under the Royal Naval Dockyard
listing below.
Bermuda Maritime Museum
Housed in a 19th-century fortress built by
convict labor, this museum exhibits artifacts, models, and maps pertaining to Ber-
muda's nautical heritage. The fortress's massive buildings of fitted stone, with their
vaulted ceilings of English brick, would be worth visiting even if they weren't
crammed with artifacts and exhibits. So are the 9m (30-ft.) defensive ramparts; the
underground tunnels, gun ports, and magazines; and the water gate and pond
designed for boats entering from the sea. Exhibits in six large halls illustrate the
island's long, intimate connection with the sea—from Spanish exploration to 20th-
century ocean liners, from racing dinghies to practical fishing boats, from shipbuild-
ing and privateering to naval exploits.
The compound's most impressive component is the
Commissioner's House,
dating from around 1834. The world's first cast-iron building was once the British
colonial government's equivalent of the White House in Washington, D.C. Although
its life as a historic monument began after its restoration in 2000, many of its exhib-
its weren't fully operational until about 7 years later. Today, glistening with a richly
7
A
park
OF YOUR OWN
Just when you thought that everything
in “Paradise” (as locals call Bermuda)
had been discovered, you happen upon
15-hectare (37-acre)
Hog Bay Park.
In
spite of its unattractive name, this is one
of the beauty spots of Bermuda, and
one of its least visited attractions. To
reach the park from the City of Hamil-
ton, take a ferry across Great Sound,
getting off at the Somerset Bridge ferry
stop. Cross the Somerset drawbridge
and follow the trail of the old Bermuda
Railway. Cross Middle Road into the
park. Once at the park you'll pass ruins
of kilns once used for making lime to
paint the famous whitewashed roofs of
island homes. As you meander, you'll
come across old abandoned cottages,
finally reaching Sugar Loaf Hill with its
Look Out Point. From here, you'll be
rewarded with one of the greatest pan-
oramic views on Bermuda. As Barbra
Streisand might put it: “On a clear day,
you can see forever.”
